Right after his return from a trip to West Africa to visit his wife, who was in the Peace Corps at the time, Chris Anderson (lead vocals, guitar) had a bunch of songs he wanted to record when he ran into future bandmates Alana Rolfe (viola, vocals) and Dayton Hicks (bass), both of whom were in previous Fort Collins, CO-based bands. Max Barcelow (drums, percussion, and vocals) was also recruited to flesh out Fierce Bad Rabbit’s sound. 

With the release of the band’s debut EP, Black and White, the quartet gained a lot of buzz in Fort Collins and across Colorado, and as a result they started to tour around the Midwest, before venturing to both the West and East Coasts. Their sophomore full-length effort, The Maestro and the Elephant was released to critical praise in several nationally-recognized publications including the Kansas City Star. 

They’re working on a new album but their latest single “Do You Want Me Now” is comprised of shimmering guitars, backed by bursts of viola, and a  playful bit of harmony, which is perfect for a sweet, summery love song. And lyrically, the song speaks about something almost all of us are familiar with – that sense of uncertainty that always comes up when you’ve exposed your heart to someone else and you have to know if it’s requited, and yet you fear that it may not be. Certainly, the song bears a passing resemblance to Modest Mouse, although it’s much more joyful. 

The animated video is not only a visual delight, it’s actually incredibly cute, too, all while being quite fitting for the song.